Has your child cut their forehead, chin or lip? Dr. Pritesh Maheshwari, a pediatric surgeon trained at AIIMS New Delhi, assesses cuts and lacerations in children and repairs them with care for healing and appearance, in East Delhi.
Go to the nearest hospital emergency department now if bleeding does not stop with firm, continuous pressure, blood is spurting, the injury involves the eye, something is stuck in the wound, the cut is from a serious accident, or your child is drowsy, vomiting or unwell after a fall. Do not wait for a clinic appointment.
A child’s cut needs more than a quick stitch. The repair has to suit a small, moving patient and a face that will carry the result for life. Dr. Pritesh Maheshwari lists facial scar and laceration repair among his pediatric day care procedures.
Depending on what the wound needs, care can include:
Not every cut needs stitches. The right choice depends on the depth, length, location and cleanliness of the wound, judged by examining it.
Cuts from falls against furniture, steps and floors
Cuts from falls during play, cycling or in the bathroom
Need careful alignment where the lip edge meets the skin
Often bleed heavily even when small
Cuts from glass, metal edges and sharp toys
Need assessment for infection risk and tetanus and rabies protection
Some injuries need a different specialist or a hospital team. These include cuts through the eyelid edge, injuries to the eye itself, and wounds that may involve tendons, nerves or major blood vessels. If your child’s injury needs this, Dr. Maheshwari will tell you directly and guide you to the right care.
A routine appointment is not the right place for these injuries.
Until your child is seen, press firmly on the wound with a clean cloth and keep pressing. Add more cloth on top if blood soaks through rather than lifting it to check. Do not try to remove anything stuck deep in the wound.
Dr. Maheshwari asks how the injury happened, checks the wound’s depth and nearby structures, looks for related injuries such as a head injury after a fall, and checks tetanus vaccination status.
The area is numbed with a local anaesthetic, and a numbing gel may be used first where suitable. A few young or very anxious children may need sedation or a short anaesthetic in a hospital setting to allow a safe, careful repair.
The wound is cleaned thoroughly and dirt or damaged tissue is removed to lower the risk of infection.
The edges are brought together with the method that suits the wound: fine stitches, absorbable stitches that do not need removal, medical skin glue or adhesive strips.
You go home with written guidance on keeping the wound clean, bathing, activity and the warning signs to watch for.
Your child is seen again to check healing and remove stitches if needed. The timing depends on where the cut is.
Careful cleaning, precise alignment of the wound edges and good aftercare give a wound the best chance of healing neatly. Even so, any cut that goes through the skin heals with some scar.
A new scar usually looks pink and raised for the first few months, then softens and fades as it matures. How it ends up depends on the depth and position of the cut, how the injury happened, whether infection develops and how your child’s skin heals. Protecting the healed scar from strong sun and following aftercare advice both help.
No doctor can honestly promise a scar-free result.
If your child has a scar from an earlier injury that is raised, tight, widening or worrying you, Dr. Maheshwari can assess it and explain whether anything further is advisable and when.
Many scars improve on their own over 12 months or more, so timing matters.
See the full range of pediatric surgery services.
The cost depends on the wound and the care it needs.
The clinic can explain the likely cost once your child has been examined. Ask what the estimate includes.
Book a consultation for a careful assessment and repair suited to your child.
Phone: +91 76699 55995, +91 76699 55994, 011-4167 9955. Bring your child’s vaccination record, any medicines or allergies, and details of how and when the injury happened.
